Well, here we are again. It has been several weeks since our last time together. Life has a way of becoming so full that we miss the flowers on the sides of the road. Last week reminded me of how precious and fragile life really is.
A friend of ours left work on his bike for lunch. Within a few hundred feet of where he worked, he was hit by a distracted driver and killed. Sonja and I always get the obligatory calls and texts to check on us and see if we knew who it was. Within a couple of hours, reports were confirmed and our hearts began to break. It is always sad when a brother rider is injured or dies, but this time was a deeper sadness. Robert left a wife and two younger kids. He was a stand-up guy who helped many people over the years.
The sadness continued as where the accident happened is passed by at least once per day. There is a cross, flowers and investigators paint as a reminder to all who pass this spot. As the week went along, our emotions were tugged as different reports of what happened were revealed. (Now I’m not going to vent my frustrations about drivers who hit bikers, but those emotions lent themselves to the roller-coaster of mine. I can only imagine what Robert’s family has experienced.) Late in the week, we were made aware of a benefit for the Thomas family. We began to help spread the word and had many people express interest in the ride today.
This morning started out well and the ride was great. Estimates are that there was a hundred or so bikes that rode to honor a fallen brother. There were a couple of minor hiccups but everyone made it safe to the ending point. It is awesome to see how the biker community comes together to help out. There were several different groups there today and each one came to honor Robert and help his family. For this, I give all praise and glory to the Lord. He gave safe rides and good times this weekend to friends and family.
This brings me to my thought. Life is fragile yet meant to be experienced. The elements of success are faith, prayer and a relationship with the giver and orchestrator of life. Faith is the essence that guides us toward the goals that Christ has given us. Prayer keeps us connected to the Spirit that guides us along the way and the relationship provides us the confidence to trust the Author and Finisher of our faith.
None of us know our date and hour. This truth makes some paralyzed, but others it frees to fully experience and enjoy each day to the fullest. My prayer for each of us is that we all will grow in faith, deepen our prayer life, strengthen our relationship with Jesus and enjoy every moment we have. Till next time, smell the roses, enjoy the journey and ride safe!
A friend of ours left work on his bike for lunch. Within a few hundred feet of where he worked, he was hit by a distracted driver and killed. Sonja and I always get the obligatory calls and texts to check on us and see if we knew who it was. Within a couple of hours, reports were confirmed and our hearts began to break. It is always sad when a brother rider is injured or dies, but this time was a deeper sadness. Robert left a wife and two younger kids. He was a stand-up guy who helped many people over the years.
The sadness continued as where the accident happened is passed by at least once per day. There is a cross, flowers and investigators paint as a reminder to all who pass this spot. As the week went along, our emotions were tugged as different reports of what happened were revealed. (Now I’m not going to vent my frustrations about drivers who hit bikers, but those emotions lent themselves to the roller-coaster of mine. I can only imagine what Robert’s family has experienced.) Late in the week, we were made aware of a benefit for the Thomas family. We began to help spread the word and had many people express interest in the ride today.
This morning started out well and the ride was great. Estimates are that there was a hundred or so bikes that rode to honor a fallen brother. There were a couple of minor hiccups but everyone made it safe to the ending point. It is awesome to see how the biker community comes together to help out. There were several different groups there today and each one came to honor Robert and help his family. For this, I give all praise and glory to the Lord. He gave safe rides and good times this weekend to friends and family.
This brings me to my thought. Life is fragile yet meant to be experienced. The elements of success are faith, prayer and a relationship with the giver and orchestrator of life. Faith is the essence that guides us toward the goals that Christ has given us. Prayer keeps us connected to the Spirit that guides us along the way and the relationship provides us the confidence to trust the Author and Finisher of our faith.
None of us know our date and hour. This truth makes some paralyzed, but others it frees to fully experience and enjoy each day to the fullest. My prayer for each of us is that we all will grow in faith, deepen our prayer life, strengthen our relationship with Jesus and enjoy every moment we have. Till next time, smell the roses, enjoy the journey and ride safe!
